King meets top officials on sidelines of Aqaba meetings

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, held separate meetings on Saturday with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law of Singapore K. Shanmugam, a Royal Court statement said. 

The discussions — held on the sidelines of the Aqaba meetings, which are hosted by Jordan for a new round to enhance global coordination and efforts in countering terrorism and violent extremism — covered bilateral ties and means to fight terrorism within a holistic approach, as well as a number of regional issues.

The current round of Aqaba meetings, co-chaired by Jordan and Japan, is focussed on means to counter the global threat of terrorism, address security challenges in Southeast Asia and build on the outcomes of previous meetings.

Held in Jordan’s Red Sea port city, the meetings are part of a series of international meetings launched by His Majesty King Abdullah in 2015 to bolster security and military cooperation, coordination and exchange of expertise among regional and international partners to counter terrorism and its threat to global peace and security within a holistic approach that addresses the military, security and ideological aspects of the issue, which, the King has repeatedly stressed, is not confined to this part of the world. 

Senior security and political officials from Southeast Asian countries, international partners, and representatives of the United Nations, the European Union and NATO are participating in the current two-day round of meetings.

Organised in rounds with a regional focus, the meetings foster and encourage expert discussions on security challenges, especially in regards to regions suffering from terrorism hotspots.

The meetings are part of King Abdullah’s vision to step up global cooperation in countering terrorism and violent extremism within a joint, international effort, based on close coordination and consultations that cover military, security and ideological aspects. 

Over the past years, the Aqaba meetings featured similar region-focused discussions with heads and representatives of a number of states in East and West Africa, Southeast Asia and the Balkans, as well as senior officials from around the world.